I Just Can't Help Myself
by Chris's American Cutie Pie
Summary: A vistor to Egypt never expected to fall in love with a 3 thousand year old mummy... (re-written, R&R)
1. Introduction

I Just Can't Help Myself...introduction  
  
Kiki Grant is a mischievous, adventurous girl who's always dreamed of traveling to Egypt. But when her tour guides rob her and leave her to die in the desert, she stumbles upon Hamunaptra...and Imhotep, who had recently been raised again by a group of foolish tourists. Instead of being frightened by him, Kiki finds herself falling for Imhotep. But their love can't survive...can it?  
  
Imhotep is not my character. I did not create him. Kiki Grant is a figment of my imagination but kind of my alter ego. Oh and this story takes place AFTER The Mummy Returns and Imhotep no longer loves Anack-su-namun because she left him to die. Ok?   
  
...Prologue...  
  
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Kiki Grant. Little Kiki had always been fascinated by pyramids, the Nile, Cairo,...and mummies. Years passed by and Kiki never got her wish to visit Egypt. But then for her college graduation present, her parents bought her a trip there. Kiki planned on exploring, not falling in love with a three thousand year old mummy named Imhotep...  
  
This is a re-write! I didn't like how I wrote the first one. It was going too fast. I'm going to strech the story out. It's going to be better. Woohoo! lol.  
  
...The Story Begins... 


	2. Part One: Egyptian Adventure

I Just Can't Help Myself...Part One: Egyptian Adventure  
  
Many years ago in a small town called Millerton, New York, a baby girl named Kiara Lynn was born. The first book she ever read was one on Egypt her mother had in the den of their home. Little Kiki was fascinated by the pyramids, the Nile River, and mummies. The story her father told her one Halloween especially caught her attention. She never knew whether to believe or not. But somehow it seemed like it might be real...  
  
"Once upon a time there was a woman named Evelyn. She and her brother Jonathan lived together in Egypt. They were Brits, and Jonathan was what your Grandpa would call a 'bloomin idiot' in the words of a British man." Kiki had giggled at her father's words and stared, amazed by the story. "Jonathan stole a key from a man named Rick, who had been to Hamunaptra." Kiki's eyes widened. "Daddy, Hamunaptra is a myth!" Mr. Grant's eyes twinkled. "Maybe so, princess, but Rick had been there, or so the story goes. A group of Americans dug up the Book of the Dead and Evelyn read from it. The High Priest Imhotep had risen from the dead!" Mr. Grant's voice boomed loudly, sending chills of fear up Kiki's spine. "He tried to raise Anck-su-namun again, but Rick, Evelyn, Jonathan and a Medjai named Ardeth Bey stopped him and sent his soul back to the underworld." Kiki laughed and shook her head, trying to convince herself the story wasn't true. But something in the back of her mind told her it was...  
  
Kiki Grant smiled happily at her parents as she walked down the long isle in her gown. Today was the day: she was graduating from college. Twenty-one year old Kiki had a degree in journalism and Egyptology. "Kiki, we have a surprise for you," Diane Grant greeted her daughter in a singsong voice. She handed Kiki a few slips of paper and watched her daughter's eyes widened. "Oh, Mom! Dad! I'm going to Egypt! You're the greatest!" She hugged them tightly, tears of joy slipping down her cheeks. "You deserve it, honey. Your flight leaves in an hour. Go home and pack!" Kiki grinned and ran for her car. "Egypt, here I come!"  
  
Kiki flew up the stairs to her bedroom and flung open the door. Twenty one years worth of treasures covered and cluttered the room. Pictures of her and her best friend, Jilly; photographs and posters of Egypt; and Kiki's favorite, a small black statue of the dark god Anubis, brought back by her aunt Jennifer from a Cairo market. She threw shorts, t-shirts, pajamas, and everything else she needed into her suitcase. "Excited?" Diane stood in the doorway, a smile on her face. Kiki grinned and nodded. "Your Dad and I will be giving you a ride to the airport. Someone will greet you at the Cairo airport." "Let's hit the road!" Kiki thrust her fist in the air and charged down the stairs, Diane behind her, laughing.  
  
  
"Miss Kiara Grant?" A dark haired man greeted her at Cairo's airport. Kiki nodded eagerly. It was ten hours later and she was finally in Egypt. The man exchanged a look with his friend standing beside him. An evil look, one Kiki did not notice. They planned to take the money she had paid them now and leave her to die in the desert. They hated foreigners. "We'll be riding on horseback through the desert." Kiki grinned happily. "Okay! Let's go!" They headed for the stable at the edge of Cairo where the horses were. As the drove toward the stables, Kiki eyed the sights she had seen from only from books before. She sighed and smiled happily.  
  
Kiki leaned down and patted the neck of the dapple grey Egyptian Arabian mare she was riding. Egypt was Kiki's first love, horses her second. Kiki rode tall in the saddle, the mare's hooves kicking up hot sand around her. The first man suddenly stopped his horse by a small, scraggly tree. "We'll be making camp here tonight, miss." Kiki nodded and slid from the mare's back. She pitched her tent and fell fast asleep, dreaming of the adventures she might have tomorrow.   
  
She yawned and blinked sleepily. The warm sun was shining on the tent and the wind whispered from outside. Kiki streched and slowly climbed out of her sleeping bag. She washed with water from her water bottle and pulled on clean clothes. She poked her head out of the tent and discovered the guides were gone, along with the horses, food, and supplies. "God damn it!" she shrieked. But her cries were lost in the howling desert wind. Kiki slammed her fist in her palm and packed up the few belongings she had left. She then began to trudge through the hot sand, not sure of where she was going. Then, just as she had given up all hope, she saw a building. Actually, the ruins of a building. Kiki sighed with relief and ran toward the building. She gasped when she realized where she was. HAMUNAPTRA! 


	3. Part Two: Imhotep

I Just Can't Help Myself...Part Two: Imhotep  
  
  
Her mouth hung open as she stared at the landscape before her. A mischievous gleam came into her eyes and she ran toward the statue of Anubis. "This is where those Brits found Imhotep...supposedly," she smirked and laughed, feeling foolish for even thinking something like that could be true. She spotted a small opening and managed to wiggle her body through, entering the space beneath the statue. A voice floated to Kiki's ears. A man's voice. She curiously, but cautiously began walking in the direction of the voice. Kiki took a deep breath and peered around the corner where the voice had come from. A tall man stood in the center of the room. He wore a black robe and three dead men were sprawled at his feet by a chest. "No...it can't be..." Kiki whispered, stunned. The man turned and faced her. Imhotep! His dark eyebrows raised at the site of Kiki, dark eyes boring into hers. Kiki let out a small gasp and stumbled backward as Imhotep approached her. "Who might you be?" He smirked and lifted her drooping chin with one hand. The smirk dropped off his face when their eyes locked. "Ki...Kiara Grant," she murmured quietly. "What brings you to my home, Kiara?" Kiki nervously twisted her fingers, wondering what might happen to her. "I...I came here to explore. My tour guides left me in the desert to die," she began to back away slowly. "Why do you back away?" Kiki prepared to flee. "I don't want to die!" A sob escaped her throat and she took of running through the passageway.  
  
Kiki ran as fast as she could and then slammed head first into a dead end. Imhotep sailed toward Kiki, emitting a soft chuckle. The girl actually had thought he would hurt her. The moment he had laid eyes on her, he knew she was special and would not harm her. Imhotep gently picked Kiki's unconscious body off the dusty ground.   
  
Kiki's eyelids fluttered open about an hour later. She gazed up into the dark eyes of Imhotep and bolted up from where she lay. "Wha...what happened?" He had wrapped his robe around Kiki to keep her warm. "You ran into a wall, Kiara." He gestured toward her head, which he had bandaged. "Thank you," she murmured quietly. "Where do you come from, Kiara?" A faint smile crept across her lips as she thought about home. "I'm from Rochester, New York. In America." He looked puzzled at her words. "Um, America is across the sea." He nodded as if he understood. "You don't seem evil, like the tales we've heard from the O'Connells." Imhotep scowled at those words but ended the conversation on that subject. "You are not afraid," he said, making a statment instead of asking a question. Kiki lifted her chin and looked into his eyes. "I'm not afraid," she said, a sweet smile playing on her lips. Imhotep smiled back and bowed his head to kiss her. Kiki's eyes closed as she savored the kiss.   
  
Night fell and Kiki quietly climbed out and sat in the sand to watch the stars. She was terribly confused about what was happening, after all she was falling in love with a three thousand year old mummy! But how could something that felt so right be so wrong? Kiki sighed, a single tear sliding down her cheek. Her eyes flickered to the sky, where the stars looked like diamonds sparkling against a velvet carpet. Her eyelids began to droop and her body slid into the sand.   
  
Warm rays of golden sunshine burned Kiki's eyelids as she slowly awoke the next morning. Imhotep was nowhere to be seen. Tears of sadness stung her eyes as she clumsily got to her feet. She thought he cared about her and would be here in the morning. Kiki grabbed her pack and began to trudge through the sand. "Kiara," a husky voice said behind her. Kiki's eyes lit up with joy. She had never been so happy to hear someone say her name. "Imhotep!" She spun around and he stood there, watching her. "I thought you had left," she said quietly, tears filling her eyes again. His eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Left? But why?" She shook her head wordlessly. He took a few large strides toward Kiki and wrapped his arms around her. "I would not leave you," his dark eyes searched hers. "We shall go to Ahm-Shere to wake the Scorpion King once again. You and I will rule the world...together." Kiki wasn't sure what to think about waking the Scorpion King but she truly cared for Imhotep and would stand by his side.  
  
Kiki swayed in the saddle of a bay Arabian mare as she and Imhotep headed toward Ahm-Shere. Every so often she'd glance over at him, amazed. He was so handsome, so wonderful. But she didn't want him to fight the Scorpion King. "Kiara? We stop here tonight," Imhotep stopped the stallion he was riding. She nodded and slid from the saddle. He took the reins from her hands, to her surprise. "I can take care of the horse," she protested. He shook his head and led the horses off. Kiki pitched a tent and crawled inside. She pulled a shimmery nightgown over her head and let her long dark hair tumble down her shoulders. A strong hand touched her shoulder, sending a wave of shivers up her spine. Kiki spun around and looked into the dark eyes of Imhotep. "Kiara..." he whispered. Her whole body trembled as he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close. Kiki closed her eyes as his lips pressed against hers. Her eyes fluttered open and she was looking into Imhotep's face, a smile flickering across his lips. She smiled back and rested her head against his bare chest, savoring the feeling of his arms around her.  
  
Kiki ran a brush through her hair as she and Imhotep prepared to continue on their journey to Ahm-Shere. Still days away from the oasis, she was worried about dangers that could lie ahead in the desert. Imhotep gently boosted her into the saddle of her bay mare, then climbed into his. Kiki had owned a pony as a child and was a fairly good rider. She nudged the mare with her heels and she smoothly galloped ahead. As Kiki's horse flew ahead of Imohtep and his stallion, he raised an eyebrow at her. Kiki flashed him a grin and kept on going. She pulled back on the mare's reins and was riding by Imhotep's side. "You are a good rider, Kiara," he stated. Kiki nodded and patted the mare's neck. "I had a pony of my own as a child. I used to ride all the time." Dusk was falling once more, so they decided to set up camp.  
  
"Why? Why the hell am I letting myself fall for him?" grumbled Kiki, tossing in her sleeping bag. She closed her eyes and her mind was clouded with thoughts of Imhotep with his arms around her, the feeling of his lips against hers, the way when he smiled, the smile slowly crept across his face. He stirred up emotions inside of her she had never felt before. Kiki opened her eyes and listened. She heard footsteps coming toward her tent. The canvas door of the tent opened and Imhotep entered. Kiki closed her eyes again, pretending she was asleep, wondering what he would do. He kneeled down next to her, tracing the curve of her face with a finger. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "I love you," he whispered in a husky voice. "I love you too," she whispered back, sitting up. Imhotep looked at her, surprised. Kiki leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He smiled and embraced her. Kiki snuggled close to him, feeling safe in his arms. Imhotep lifted her chin, cupping it with his hand. "I love you, Kiara. I never want to be without you." "We'll never be apart. Ever. I'm yours for all eternity." Her dark eyes flickered across his face, a feeling of love and passion overwhelming her. He kissed her again, this time with more intensity and heat. His hands gripped her shoulders, fingers running across her arms, making her body quiver. Kiki sighed softly, wishing they could stay like this forever. 


End file.
